An update on the book - 11 September, 2012
As we’re gearing up for the launch of Identities Now: Contemporary Portrait Photography we wanted to give you an update on where we are.

We’re about to go to press in Hong Kong. We contacted printers in the US, England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland, Japan, HK, and China. The printer we’re using came highly recommended by another publisher who specializes in photography books, and we’ve seen examples of finished books they’ve done. We’re very excited to be working with them and are working to make this a quality publication we’ll all be proud of.

The book will be 240 pages. It will come in at 8 ½ x 11 inches, and will feature a heavy stock paperback cover with a French flap. The book will retail for $100. We have an official publication date of 15 November.

We have been in contact with museum bookstores and independent bookstores, in the US and overseas. Many of them specialise in art/photography books. So far, everyone has expressed interest in taking the book. We’re also working with Amazon and Barnes & Noble to make it available online. We’re also in the process of lining up press coverage.

We’ll be offering all of the artists an opportunity to pre-order the book at a discounted price, and we will also offer discounts for those who would like to buy 5 or 10 copies, in case they’re planning on giving them out over the holidays. We’ll be accepting advance orders shortly.

All of our focus is on getting the book printed at the moment, but we’ve heard some interest in a launch party and may put something together in New York over the holidays.

You can help!!!
If you know of bookstores in your area that you think should be stocking the book, let us know the name of the store and some details.
If you already have an idea about how many copies you’d like to order, shoot us a quick email. We’re not taking orders just yet, so nobody will get charged for anything, but it will help us gauge demand.

If there are publications in your area that might be interested in learning about this book, let us know.
We’d appreciate hearing from you. Send your comments and suggestions to Charles@phhfineart.com.

“I am always looking for the suggestion of the thing I've never seen.” – Diana Vreeland

Identities Now: Contemporary Portrait Photography explores the current state of the photographic portrait, gathering the best work from a diverse cross-section of artists from around the globe. The book includes 366 photographs by 165 photographers from almost 30 countries.

"We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph." – Elie Wiesel

The photographs were selected by a team of editors, including Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, David Harris, Laurie Kratochvil, Sam Shahid, David Schonauer, and Peter Hay Halpert. The photographs are accompanied by a Foreword by Tim Blanks and an essay by Peter Hay Halpert.

“For me, the frisson of portraits once lay in the unknowability of their subjects. The distance between me and the face I was looking at was unbridgeable. Or at least, that’s how I wanted it to be. And individuality is such a point of principle for the young that I don’t imagine I wanted to see myself staring back at me… But as I’ve aged, it’s the similarities, not the differences, that I look for. I want instruction from portraits, a suggestion of how things might turn out – or, more likely, might have turned out.” – from the Foreword by Tim Blanks

Some more teaser shots from the book

Samburu Rights of Passage by Toni Greaves

Ai by Rania Matar

Sam Space by Andrew Fladeboe

The ArtistsThe following is a list of the accepted artists along with their website, where applicable. If you're an artist on this list and notice an error or would like to update your site info, please send an email to portraits@phhfineart.com, with the subject line "Accepted List Change - Identities Now."

*Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

David Harris has been Design Director of Vanity Fair magazine since 1995. During this time he has had the privilege of working with many of the leading photographers of the past two decades, including Harry Benson, Brigitte Lacombe, Annie Leibovitz, James Nachtwey, Helmut Newton, Nick Knight, Mary Ellen Mark, Steven Meisel, Herb Ritts, Snowdon, Bruce Weber, and many others. Prior to Vanity Fair Harris was Art Director of D magazine in Dallas, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and his work has been recognized by the American Society of Magazine Editors, the Society of Publication Design, the Society of Illustrators, American Photography, American Illustration, Print Magazine and Graphis.

Laurie Kratochvil, Photography Editor/Director

Laurie Kratochvil is a legendary photo editor. She began her career at the LA Times and went on to join Rolling Stone in 1982. In 1994, Kratochvil became the founding photo editor for In Style Magazine and worked there until 2005, before starting her own visual consulting business, working with magazines such as Self, Men’s Health and Essence. Her book projects include Africa by Herb Ritts, and Cyclops by Albert Watson, as well as Watson's two-volume book on Las Vegas to be published this fall. Kratochvil is a board member of The Society of Publication Design, a jury member of World Press, and on faculty at The International Center for Photography.

Sam Shahid, President and Creative Director, Shahid & Company

Sam Shahid worked with Calvin Klein in the 1980's, and since he has been constructing images for top fashion designers in the world. In 1993 he founded Shahid & Company, his own creative design firm and advertising agency. He has helped reform the images of national retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Banana Republic, while creating original and starkly contrasting images for designers ranging from Versace to Valentino, Gucci to Perry Ellis. He has also designed numerous fine art and photography books for the likes of Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Kelly Klein, Ellen Von Un Werth, and many others.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Photographer/Director

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ portraits are in the collections of numerous museums. In 2004, seven hundred of his art world portraits were accepted into the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He is a contributing photographer at Vanity Fair, and has published several books, including: The Black List (2008), Movie Stars (2007), and Face to Face (2006). He also produces and directs films: Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart premiered at Sundance and won a Grammy, Thinking XXX aired on HBO in 2004, and The Black List: Volumes 1-3, which also aired on HBO.

David Schonauer, former Editor in Chief, American Photo Magazine

David Schonauer was editor-in-chief of American Photo Magazine for twenty years. He has worked with and published many of the world's most famous photographers, including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, James Nachtwey, Annie Leibovitz, Mary Ellen Mark, Herb Ritts, Ansel Adams, and Harry Benson. David has written for publications as diverse as Atlantic Monthly, Outside, Worth, and The New York Times. He is currently working on a book project about the history of sports photography and writes a weekly blog called "I Like to Watch".

Peter Hay Halpert, Principal, Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art

Peter Hay Halpert is an art dealer, professor, author, lecturer, curator and collector. He has authored numerous books, including several monographs on Hiroshi Sugimoto, as well as over 600 articles on photography. He has been a Contributing Editor of The Art Newspaper, Photograph Magazine and American Photo. Peter has taught at colleges and universities throughout the world. He served on the Guggenheim Museum Photography Committee when it was first started, and work from his collection has been exhibited at numerous institutions in the U.S.